Simple Suppers

I love sharing food with friends, so whenever we have people over for supper (which isn’t often enough these days), I like to serve food that can be prepared in advance, so that by the time guests arrive all I need to do is pour a drink and serve up. One of my favourites is Nigel Slater’s fish pie. over the years it’s undergone various interpretations depending on my mood and what looks tempting at the fishmongers. My current favourite is to add prawns and scallops, a tablespoon of creme fraiche with a pinch of saffron instead of the dill. This week I also added a topping of mashed potato with a crumble topping in the centre, so all that was needed was a big pan of peas to accompany it.

So, that’s what we ate on Friday night to celebrate my birthday – followed by this deliciously light – but very tasty plum pudding.

Plum Pudding to serve 8 generous portions

Slice 16 – 20 plums into quarters, removing the stones. Place in a shallow flan dish and cover with fresh or frozen raspberries (I used the very last of the autumn fruiting raspberries from our garden). Top with 500g of half fat mascarpone whipped up with a tablespoon of vanilla paste. Top with 50g of demerara sugar and leave to one side until ready to bake.

Pop in the oven at gas mark 4 just as you dish up the main course and it should be ready in 20 mins to half an hour (when the top is browned and the sugar bubbling). Best served warm, not piping hot and the addition of a tub of Green and Black’s vanilla ice cream made me very popular with Mr T, who always feels cheated if dessert doesn’t include ice cream!

No photos of the food we ate – doesn’t it drive you mad when people whip out their phones or cameras before you have a chance to tuck in? If you are desperate to know what these recipes look like – make them for yourself – or even better for your friends!